Mountain music: Festival boasts bluegrass, scholarships

Hundreds of bluegrass music lovers from all over the West gathered under the ancient oak trees in the Etna City Park on July 19-21 for the Scott Valley Bluegrass Festival.

This year the festival celebrated its 10th anniversary, bringing musicians from as far away as Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, several parts of California and local favorite Eight Dollar Mountain from Ashland, Ore.

The event began on Friday evening with an open, acoustic jam session on Etna's Main Street, where festival attendees and local residents had the opportunity to play with highly regarded professional musicians.

The current music festival trend often brings large, highly commercialized concerts to rural areas across the country, but this home-grown festival is as quaint and charming as the town that hosts it.

In addition to more bluegrass music than you can shake a pick at, the event included a wide range of vendors, artists, children's activities, music workshops and camping.

Randy Milton of Roseburg, Ore., said he and his family were having a great time in Etna. "The atmosphere here is perfect for a bluegrass festival like this, and my daughter can't stay away from the face-painting table."

Jesse Sweeney of Redding said she especially enjoyed listening to the acoustic "picking" that filled the campground with music late into the night on Friday.

Local businesses sponsor the weekend-long concert and much of the proceeds fund higher-education scholarships for Scott Valley students.

Melanie Fowle, chairperson for the Scott Valley Scholarships and Educational Awards Committee, said the event has given 45 scholarships to Scott Valley students over the years for a total of $27,920 in educational funding. She noted that students use the funding for various types and levels of post-secondary schooling and training.